An Argos man walked away from a Tuesday morning vehicle versus train crash in Marshall County. Joshua Ramer, 33, was crossing the tracks on 18B and Dewberry Roads just before 11 a.m. in a 2005 Dodge pickup truck when the trailer he was pulling got stuck on the tracks. An eastbound Norfolk Southern train hit the truck and trailer, causing extensive damage to both and to the railroad crossing signal. Continue reading →

Elkhart-based Norfolk & Southern Railroad was cited for blocking State Road 17 in Burr Oak for an extended period of time Sunday morning. A Marshall County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a complaint around 9:30 a.m. and observed the train not moving for more than 10 minutes. He then drove to the Redwood Crossing area and spoke to the conductor, who said they were waiting for a long train from the Fort Wayne area to pass. It’s the latest in a series of problems at that crossing. On Oct. 30 a verbal warning was given, and the conductor was told citations would be issued for future occurrences. Continue reading →

Norfolk Southern Railroad is closing four railroad crossings in Starke County for repairs. Company officials advised Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler the crossings would not all be shut down at once and say the work will take between one and two weeks to complete. They could not provide exact dates for the closings. Crossings scheduled for repairs are: 700 East just north of 150 South, 150 South East of 700 East, 200 South west of State Road 23 and 225 South East of State Road 23.

The railroad crossing over State Road 8 near 700 East in Starke County is once again open. The crossing had been closed since Aug. 27, and was reopened yesterday morning.

The crossing was closed for routine maintenance by Norfolk Southern Railroad, and they had estimated that it would be closed to traffic until Sept. 10, but the work was completed ahead of schedule and the road is once again open to traffic.

INDOT Railroad and Utilities Engineer Mike Essling said that the planned closure was expected to be a bit longer than usual, but he said the company would coordinate efforts on restoring access to the tracks as quickly as possible. All emergency services, school corporations, and other affected parties were notified of the track’s closure and provided with alternate routes.

North Judson Police Chief, Doug Vessely, told the North Judson Town Board this week that a recent search warrant conducted at the scrap yard in Knox by the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, Knox City Police Department and the North Judson Police Department may have uncovered stolen property from the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson. Museum staff had reported joint bars stolen plus other items worth thousands of dollars. The incident remains under investigation.